<p>In reality, I can have both majors at Northwestern. But in order to do so, I'd have to ultimately enroll in their School of Communications and get a DEGREE for RTVF, with it saying somewhere on my transcript that I just completed the departmental requirements for a computer science major. In all honesty, I want both, because of practicality, passion, and a lifestyle of both the arts and the sciences. But my passion is film, especially for graduate school and optimistically, if I could never get a dual-degree for both, I'd rather have gotten a degree for computer science (for job stability) and just major in RTVF, which isn't possible at Northwestern. Only the reverse. </p>
<p>So I'd have to ask, if I do end up receiving a B.A. from their School of Communications with a completed major in computer science... realistically, would any employer hire me for a job in computer science without an actual degree? </p>
<p>Yes, but some others may screen you out early because you don’t have the major they are looking for.</p>
<p>What about majoring in CS and taking the desired RTVF courses as electives? The film industry’s job prospects are not particularly great the usual way (for film and similar majors), supposedly with unpaid internships being the typical entry level “jobs”. Indeed, CS may be a better “back door” into the industry in terms of special effects work (computer generated imaging) while also having better backup options in case you do not make into the film industry.</p>
<p>If I don’t have the major they’re looking for? But I do, right? </p>
<p>And I’m not trying to enter in the “back door”; computer science is supposed to be, for me, a self-sufficient major to procure jobs and have employment stability while I pursue film, not that I’m necessarily looking for a joint concentration specialization in the two. I would try and major in CS and get the degree there if possible, but with the way things work out, I’m not allowed to major in RTVF without getting my primary degree in it and enrolling into the appropriate school. </p>
<p>No, you said you will have a BA from the School of Communications but you will have CS coursework that happens to fulfill major requirements but they don’t award you a degree that says so. That means that you won’t have a BA or BS in CS to put on your resume, right? So you are going to be technically eligible, but you are going to have an extra hurdle for people to notice that you have all the usual coursework. Your resume could be screened out before anyone gets to the transcript level if they are looking for a degree in CS. I don’t think that is insurmountable. You can put your relevant coursework on your resume and in the cover letter. You can get relevant internships. You may have to work a bit harder to get noticed and risk being screened out by some. Some companies might be stubborn and only want people who have a degree in CS. I can just see the website showing the company’s technical expertise and their software engineer who has a RTVF degree.</p>
<p>Most of the programmers (computer, not television) I’ve worked with don’t have CS degrees, although they do have some kind of STEM degree. </p>
<p>As others have said, you have to make an extra effort to let potential employers know you’re going for a CS-type job. But you can definitely get one. You’re also going to have to come up with a good explanation as to why you went for an RTVF degree instead of a STEM degree. Coming right out of college, it wouldn’t sound good to say your real objective is to make films, and your CS job is simply a means to that end. If I was the hiring manager, I would wonder about how committed you’d be to your job.</p>
<p>@Simba I’m going to pursue film graduate school for an MFA right after college, but at the same time, I will be pursuing internships in both fields to gain experience. I mean, I won’t be looking for any high-paying jobs in CS, just simple ones where I can get paid a decent amount (~50k is good enough for me) and put my skills to use. And I definitely would be a hard worker in anything I attempted. But I do see what you’re saying.</p>
<p>@Polo Well when you put it like that… it looks superficial. Not everything is about money. </p>